A Beginner’s Guide to Golf Clubs
They say golf is a game for the rich, but the truth is, it is a game for everyone. Even though it looks quite intimidating because there is a lot to catch up on before you become a pro, it is still worth a shot! There are so many things to consider as a beginner before practicing the sport, and it all begins with golf clubs.
Both golf clubs and balls are essential equipment; they work simultaneously to make sure there is a game to be played. Imagine if there are balls without anything to hit them with or golf clubs to be swung without balls. However, what is of utmost importance to us in this review are clubs, the types available, and a short guide on how to choose the right golf club for beginners.
How to Choose the Best Golf Clubs for Beginners?
If you are new to this sport, the chances are that you’d make mistakes when buying a type of golf club (you think it is suitable for you). You don’t just get anything you see around; you need to make proper findings, analyze several factors, seek help from experts and pro players. Only this way will you be able to get something perfect to use.
As to how to choose golf clubs for beginners, here are a few things or factors you should take into consideration.
Length
For golf, you need a club with the right length that would enable you to swing with ease without twisting your arms. It is dependent on the height of the person in question as well as the shaft of the club. The shaft, which is a blue, long tapered tube, holds an essential place in positioning; if not considered, it could only give a player a null, dull shot.
This shaft helps in connecting a player’s hand to the head of the club, so the longer it is, the farther the hands are away from a golf ball. Nowadays, shafts are made of a graphite material because they are flexible and can help to maintain all kinds of swings easily. Besides, there are considerations to the length based on gender.
Men
- Men below 5’5” need a piece of equipment ½” shorter than standard length
- Men between 5’5” to 6’1” need equipment with a standard length
- Men above 6’1” need equipment above the standard length.
Women
- Women below 5’3” need equipment with a petite length
- Women between 5’3” to 5’7” need equipment with a standard length
- Women above 5’7” need equipment for men’s standard length.
With regard to the shaft of equipment, swing speed is of high importance too. There are different speeds for several kinds of the shaft, but they are grouped under:
- Below 85mph – flex shaft
- 85mph to 100 mph – regular flex shaft
- 100mph and above – stiff or extra-stiff shaft.
Head
This is more important, especially when it directly has to do with swinging speed, control, and balance, which most beginners are unfamiliar with. A club’s head weight is into dimensions, i.e., the lighter head and the more massive head where each of them has different roles to perform.
Professionals who are interested in faster swing speed can only make use of a more substantial head golf club because it stabilizes them and helps to gain control. On the other hand, beginners and intermediate players can only use lighter ones for a slower swing speed; hence, this is very important.
However, there are different kinds of products that critically consider the head-weight feature, and it is advisable to try them out. The wood one is deep-faced, enabling the higher spin and lower launch for professionals while shallow-faced clubs enhance a good velocity and high performance for beginners.
Loft
If a golf club has a head, then it has a face, and that is the face loft, which is also another factor to examine. The loft is the angle between the clubface, which helps in distance covering as well as serves a trajectory function. There are several kinds based on lofts, too, and this applies to professionals and beginners on different levels.
Beginners may find items with higher face loft more impactful than any other kind because it would help them cover more distance in a short time. For professional golfers that would want less spin and higher trajectory, golf clubs with higher face loft works perfectly. However, those who are experienced and would want more skill to hit make use of lower face loft drivers to serve the purpose.
Type of Golf Clubs
Finally, we are about to discover the different types available concerning their functions and structure. Of course, we would see which of them makes the best golf club for beginners from the list. The types are:
Drivers
A driver golf club is the most standard one ever used because it has been designed with the best architecture, an enormous head, the lowest loft, and the longest shaft. Every golf bag always has a driver to tell you how important it is to most professional golfers out there. A driver can do almost all the work of another kind of golf clubs, being highly recommended for beginners who have improved over a few weeks.
Before, drivers were made out of subtle but durable materials. Now, the head is made out of hollowed titanium, and the shaft — of graphite for flexibility and strength. However, there is something vital about drivers that need to be known by all kinds of golfers: they are not allowed to be hit off the ground but off a tee. Thus, there is an increase in speed and velocity, and simultaneously, control and balance are maintained.
Woods
Woods, also called Fairway woods are particular golf clubs types that can also be added to a golf bag. They have a beautiful body that makes them valuable to both professionals and intermediate players. On an outlook, the head of the woods is smaller than those of drivers, but they make adorable shots, too.
Also, the loft is quite different, such that drivers have 7 to 13 degrees to make a trajectory while woods have 12 to 18 degrees to create a path. Altogether, they perform even better than other golf clubs. Most importantly, beginners should make use of 17 degrees loft to have a good shot/swing at the ball.
Irons
The iron one is also another unique type of golf club that can be considered. No doubt, they are handy and make sure shots taken are precise and gentle. Although this one is suitable for professionals, it can still be tried out once in a while by beginners who would like to advance in their use of golf clubs.
This one is available in numbered sets, and it ranges from 3-iron to 9-iron in which each depends on a golfer’s ability and level. Irons have small but robust clubheads (sometimes, there are hollow ones) as well as groove-etched lofts, which enhance grip and spinning. There is a common phenomenon with an iron product: the higher the number set, the higher the loft, and the lower the length of the shaft.
Wedge
The Wedge golf club is another piece worthy of paying attention to, and they are divided into different forms, such as gap wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge, and a pitching wedge. Even though wedge is an independent type, they still have properties of iron ones. This is because their clubheads are similar only in an extension of the loft angles, which makes them high-lofted.
Wedges are used in several ways, but most often, they are beneficial in engaging shorter approaches into greens, as well as chips and pitches surrounding greens. They are even used in playing golf balls out of sand bunkers, just in case a golfer finds himself/herself in that scenario.
Putter
If to speak about the most-specialized golf club ever, Putter is the best shot. These are extraordinary items that are available in different shapes and sizes that golfers can pick from. For a cross-handed grip, putters are the best to make that happen as they use the trail hand better than the lead one.
A putter golf club can also be used based on personal preference. It is essential to know that they are utilized for putting a golf ball into a hole. In general, putters have different sub-sections (varieties) based on clubheads, personalities, and lengths.
Hybrids
These are the most recent items, and they have all new improvements to make sure golfers have a pleasant experience while using them. The hybrid golf club can fit into any play because it is highly versatile; it is an impressive replacement for the iron golf club. They are great for beginners as well as intermediate players who would like to explore and learn how to gain control or balance.
Hybrids are products with amazing qualities, and the significant thing about them is that their heads are stronger, smaller, shallower, but similar to woods in shape. They feature a large sweet spot and a low gravity center that enhances its performance when hitting against a golf ball.
Conclusion
After much has been said, we believe new golfers know the different golf clubs available and the significance of each to both the player and the spot. There is a wide variety to pick from, but it should be understood that each of these choices has different reasons or scenarios where they are being used. In conclusion, having all the golf clubs as a beginner shouldn’t be a bad idea, but you must make sure they are comfortable. We hope you learned how to choose golf clubs!